The great American philosopher and founder of recovery psychology, William James, once said “A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain.” This statement describes how we at Clearview Girls Academy approach our recovery program. A “quick fix” might seem good at first, but over time it creates a weak link. A “family journey” approach can create a chain that stands up to any test life brings your way.
Here at Clearview Girls Academy, we are quite specific about the fact that we are not here to “fix your kid.” In the long run, we have found that this creates only a “half-measured” recovery program. We are here to help your entire family recover, and more importantly, to help your family continue to grow and recover your well-being.
We have many treatment options that can help your family get back on the right track. We understand that you may be coming to us because you feel like you are losing control of your daughter and you don’t know where to turn. We are here to help you turn in the right direction. This direction is one of hope, the realization of potential, and long-lasting family growth.
The Issues With a “Quick Fix” Program
Unlike many other recovery programs, we believe in a complete and individualized approach. Everybody’s journey leading to our doors is different. Why should we treat everyone’s recovery program the same way? Everyone has different emotional “breaks” in their life’s “chain.” We are here to find out exactly where those breaks are so we can mend and strengthen them for the future.
When a “cookie cutter” approach is taken to recovery, the chances of missing individual needs feel almost inevitable. For example, treating someone solely for substance use disorder (SUD) when they’re also struggling with issues of mental health can be ineffective. Yet, in many recovery programs, these co-occurring issues can be overlooked.
There is a shared belief in many 12-Step programs that drinking and substances are a symptom of deeper emotional issues. Whether these underlying issues are founded in trauma or other mental or emotional disorders, we have the resources to treat these issues in tandem with the issues of dependencies.
The Importance of a Complete Individualized Program
Here at Clearview Girls Academy, we pride ourselves on the unique offerings we have to facilitate a complete recovery program. After an individualized assessment, we can determine the right recovery path to best accommodate your daughter’s needs.
Primarily we work on recovery with a three-tiered approach. These tiers include behavioral transformation, academic achievement, and spiritual growth. We involve the family in all of these tiers, and we believe that addressing all of these aspects helps facilitate true healing. As one member heals on a deep level, the whole family can begin to heal and transform.
Achieving Behavioral Transformation
We have many ways to help our students understand, control, and change their behaviors. These ways can be therapeutic, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), art therapy, and equine therapy. They can be holistic and physical, including yoga, breathwork, and outdoor group exercise. They can even be neuropsychological, including neurofeedback and craniosacral therapy treatments.
A Focus on Academic Achievement
Here at Clearview Girls Academy, we are one of the few recovery centers that can claim to be nationally academically certified. We are both a fully accredited middle school and high school. That means that your daughter can stay caught up with the rest of her peers while she is recovering with us here in Montana. In some cases, she can even complete two years of credits in one.
Acquiring Spiritual Growth
Finding God (or a higher power of one’s own understanding) can be crucial to living a healthy and fulfilled recovery. Many times our students come to us depleted of faith and hope. We believe that relying on something outside of themselves can help them regain this critical component of well-being.
Mental Health as a Family Disease
However, we understand that treating the individual is not the only important aspect of a successful recovery program. Issues of mental health and/or substance use do not just affect the individual who is struggling. They affect everyone in their orbit. This is especially true for the family.
Understanding that mental health is a family disease is an important step toward a unified long-term recovery. After the initial individual recovery program has begun, we invite parents and family members to participate in family workshops and group therapy sessions so the family healing process can begin.
The Benefits of a “Family Journey” Program
We believe that recovery is a journey, rather than a destination. There is no finish line. Rather, there is a track laid out before us that offers new positive experiences we once considered impossible.
When a family seeks our help at Clearview Girls Academy, their family bond is often bent and broken. Our goal is to weld that family bond back together. We know that just like a chain must be united to hold strong, so too must a family. We can help the family become whole again.
It is important to remember that recovery is never guaranteed, especially in the long term. However, there are proper steps, tools, and resources that can be utilized to optimize the chances for long-term recovery. Avoiding recovery plans that offer “quick fixes” will help get you or your loved one on the right path immediately. It is also critical to remember that when it comes to issues of mental health, often the entire family is affected. Thus, the entire family deserves to get the therapy or treatment they need. Creating a “family journey” recovery plan over an individual “quick fix” recovery plan can go a long way toward success. For more information, please call Clearview Girls Academy at (888) 796-5484.
